The latest craze to hit high schools is supervised teenage gambling.
Over this past week I have received multiple emails from a parent who is concerned about the Post Prom School gambling Party. The prom committee has voted to have a safe night party for the High School students. They have set a night aside for gambling night for the sixteen to eighteen years high school students. At the event they will be using fake money in order to gamble. If they win at the end of the night they can take the fake money and purchase prizes. A majority of parents b elieve this is wonderful for their teens.
I was surprised that the gambling high school party is taking place in a conservative town. It's inappropriate for teenage gambling in any form.
I do not see the difference with using fake money or real money when you still have a chance to win a prize that has value. These teens are being educated on how to gamble and take the easy way out.
Teenagers who are over eighteen are allowed to make there own choices.
For a school system to decide that gambling night is acceptable behavior needs a reality check, this is unacceptable.
Statistics prove that a percentage of individuals exposed to gambling become compulsive gamblers. Based on a random sampling of this high school, I w ould estimate at a minimum of ten percent of the students will continue to gamble after the event. Some people get addicted some people do not.
I do not see the difference between supervised gambling and allowing supervised drinking of alcoholic beverages or serving the students there choice of drugs on a silver platter. If a Principal served a student underage an alcoholic drink he would be arrested. I believe the same is true if the principal allows gambling when the out come is uncertain and each student has a chance to win a prize or develop a new addiction. Studies have shown that there is a correlation between alcoholics and compulsive gamblers.
It was noticed that there were members who belonged to both Gambler Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous. A good percentage of the students will receive the same rush as if they just had one alcoholic beverage. We have now given these students another option in life. The major concern is the student’s will probably like the rush from gambling a lot more then alcohol and or drugs since there is no hang over or smell.
The students will likely to continue gambling and in time people will notice their self destructive behavior. Students with A grades are not exempt from this. Statistics show that compulsive teenage gamblers are also very bright and articulate individuals.
People need to be educated on teenage gambling and its long term affects. It’s illegal to gamble if you are under eighteen. It’s also illegal to drink if you are under eighteen (some places ternty-one) and it’s illegal to smoke cigarettes if you are under eighteen.
Do these school systems have no respect for the law?
There are some parents who are against high school post prom gambling but they are a minority. Their teenagers are going to be upset if they are not allowed to attend this prom due to their parents. It’s a no win situation. Is it worth the gamble, if just one student develops a compulsive gambling addiction and the rest of the students are okay?
A teenager who develops a compulsive gambling addiction has some significant issues to deal with. A teenage gambler’s grades will drop as their social development decreases. They then have no self esteem left. Teenagers as well as adults have committed suicide because they could not find a way out. Has the school systems educated themselves to guarantee that gambling is equal to arts and crafts? If one student develops a gambling addiction, is the school system going to compensate the family for the negative affects on their teenager and the long lasting affects of this gambling addiction? Or maybe the parents who voted for this gambling event should be legally responsible especially if just one parent objects.
If you’re a parent of one of the students you are now playing the lottery. Statistics show that teenager’s who gamble have the following in common: The first is their grades start to drop, their social habits change, they have no money in their pockets, calls to your home from people you don’t know looking for money from your child, self destructive behavior increases as their self esteem decreases, working extra hours to pay their debts off and selling their prized possessions (example: baseball cards). Another percentage of these gamblers will revert to stealing. If you’re a parent would you take the gamble to allow gambling at your child’s high school?
As a parent when you find out it’s your child who has the gambling addiction, what are you going to do? From a majority of the emails I have received, parents play dumb and say how did this happen to my teenager? I am a good parent. Parents know there children they need to confront the situation head on.
Just as you have to take the time to talk to your children about, sex, drugs and alcohol you now have to explain the effects of gambling. Should a parent serve their child a beer?
Should a parent smoke marijuana with their child?
Teenagers who grow up in a house where there parents are active gamblers are more likely to gamble too. A school event puts a stamp of approval on gambling.
Parents email me and want me to provide them with statistical proof so they can take it to the school to stop this gambling event. I gave the parent specific examples, but she wanted to know out of 100 kids how many will be negatively affected by this event?
Are our school systems being run by mentally unbalance teachers? From the time I was in school which was only twenty years ago, I never heard the following : Teachers sleeping with students, Students shooting students on school grounds, gambling at the school’s prom and students addicted to video games. What is our society coming to?
Before I wrote this article I had fewer questions. The more you look into this subject matter the more you realize there is a problem with it.
Gambling in schools should not be allowed as long as there is a law on the books in your community that the minimum gambling age is eighteen. Which ever school systems are holding teenage gambling events at the prom or any other time is breaking the law.
They should be subject to the legal system.
Gambling is the wagering or betting of money on games of chance. Though for many it is a form of recreation, it can become a psychologically addictive and harmful behavior in some people. Gambling may also refer to engaging in any high- risk behavior.
These teenagers will be wagering so they are gambling underage.
How many parents would object if the school systems decided they were going have a new mandatory class on how to shoot a gun and or rifle? There are some school systems in the country where they hunt locally for turkeys, deer etc so they would try and justify the class. Other schools located in big cities might get bombarded with negative calls from parents. The point is that Compulsive gambling addiction is silent. Compulsive gamblers are creative individual’s, they will find ways so you would never know. There are no physical signs like Alcohol and drugs until financial resources run out.
At the post prom gambling party teenagers are going to eventually graduate and there is no tracking of them. No parent is going to openly admit my son has or had a gambling addiction. Once again we have limited statistics.
Parents are our children's future. Be the parent and don't allow others to change your views. If you believe that school systems should stop these post proms gambling parties then let your politicians know what’s happening.
It’s possible no one ever sat back and looked at this subject realistically because it’s new. Education is the key.
When it comes to your teenagers it’s your decision.
Parents are our children's future. Be the parent and don't allow others to change your views. There is no place for gambling at school.
For those who are still searching for a way to stop compulsive gambling addiction, there are new innovative websites available to help.
You can find helpful information regarding stop gambling at the following sites:
» left by Apollo from 123 Fake street (2 years 190 days ago.)
You are a fool using fake money teaches the risk of losing the money. How many people do you think won prizes... 1 out of 30. This shows that people don't really get many prizes. I'm a student at the age of 15. I find that having some fake money and playing a round of poker or blackjack is harmless fun. Gambling is adictive I agree and the pokies are not good at all. They are luck. However card games they have a certian amount of skill and there is always the option to fold a hand.
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Article added to SearchWarp.com on Saturday, March 05, 2005 View other articles written by Howard Keith(512)
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